Chapter Forty-Five: Meeting an Acquaintance in the Wilds Village

After leaving the county office, Fang Mu returned home. Everything was normal—there were no constables patrolling as he had feared. It seemed that the county magistrate had truly believed his vague explanation at the time.

By now, the sun had fully risen, and the streets had become lively again.

Fang Mu sat at his table and took out the bark from Meng County and the bloodstained leather ball. Both items were still intact. The leather ball was small and had always been kept in Fang Mu’s wooden chest.

Things were not as simple as they seemed, which was why Fang Mu had held on to these two items.

“Who could it be?” he wondered, scrutinizing the objects on the table, falling into deep thought.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. It felt as though, from the very moment when he met the village chief, he had been ensnared in a plot—one designed specifically for him.

The Ghost Market… and even Meng County itself—some unseen hand was at work, propelling events forward.

After much consideration, Fang Mu put away the bloodstained ball and the bark from Meng County, intending to head out.

His destination was clear: the Great Wilderness Village.

After Fang Mu left his house, in a hidden place, a figure shrouded in a black robe suddenly began to tremble violently.

“Who is it? Who? Why are the strange things within my body so restless?”

The shadowy figure quivered, and a person wearing an official's robe, with a vacant expression, appeared—it was Magistrate Zhang.

Magistrate Zhang could hardly be called human now, for his form was half-transparent.

The black-robed figure turned to look at him and sneered, “As expected, the more powerful one was in life, the more powerful after becoming something unnatural. Though you failed, and she failed, you are both my nourishment!”

Countless tendrils of black mist surged around the black-robed figure, slowly taking the form of a woman in black.

If Fang Mu were present, he would have recognized her instantly. This woman was none other than the ghostly adept who had tried to kill him in the Ghost Market.

She, too, had now become an eerie wraith, her face blank and lifeless.

The woman in black and Magistrate Zhang collided, merging into a single stream of black mist that slowly seeped into the black-robed figure's body.

“Yu Yue! Stabilize your realm; for now, I will not eliminate you. I hope Magistrate Zhang can lure you in. Otherwise, you’ll have no one but yourself to blame…”

Gradually, the black mist surrounding the figure dissipated, and all returned to normal.

…

Great Wilderness Village had become a desolate ruin since the old village chief and its people died from the plague.

The official cause given by the Gu Yue Kingdom was the plague—a fact known only to a select few.

The common folk feared the disease, knowing well how contagious it could be, so no one dared approach the abandoned village.

But today was different—a man carrying a wooden chest arrived.

Fang Mu glanced at the deserted village, shook his head, and walked straight in.

This was the origin of all things—the beginning, for Fang Mu.

Here, he had acquired his corpse-searching technique and encountered his first supernatural being.

To uncover the mastermind behind everything, this was the most crucial place to begin, for everything had started here.

Now, by returning to the Great Wilderness Village, he intended to retrace every step from the beginning.

As he walked through the ruined village, he first made his way to the village chief’s house.

Opening the door, he was met by the stench of decay and mildew, making him frown.

The furniture inside was sparse, all covered in a thick layer of dust.

Fang Mu searched every inch, inside and out, but found nothing.

He then searched the homes of the other villagers, but again came up empty-handed.

“It seems that fellow has wiped everything clean, even here,” Fang Mu muttered to himself, stroking his chin.

Given the mastermind’s meticulous nature, he had likely erased all traces long ago.

This incident was sure to attract the attention of the Skywatch Division. The mastermind had probably decided to lie low until the storm passed, before resurfacing to continue his plans.

After searching for so long, Fang Mu had combed through nearly everything except the very earth itself, but found not a single clue.

He did not linger further. Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps approaching.

“Brother, I never expected to run into you here.”

The familiar voice made Fang Mu turn, his expression becoming odd.

Tall banner, compass, Daoist robes—the newcomer was none other than Iron Abacus Immortal, whom he had met previously in the Ghost Market.

Iron Abacus Immortal looked much the same as before, though his gait was steadier and his presence more imposing than before.

“You’ve broken through?” Fang Mu asked, hand resting on his butcher’s knife.

A faint killing intent emanated from him, startling Iron Abacus Immortal.

Had there been some mistake? He had recently amassed a fortune in bloodstained copper coins in the Ghost Market, just reached the Dragon Gate Realm, yet why did this man still feel like an insurmountable mountain?

And this subtle killing intent—what was that about? He didn’t remember offending him…

Iron Abacus Immortal took a step back, speaking cautiously, “Brother Copper Abacus Demon, what’s this about…”

Even saying the name made Iron Abacus Immortal feel deeply embarrassed, but he truly didn’t know how else to address him.

Fang Mu advanced slowly, speaking as he walked, “In this desolate wilderness, you just happen to show up at this abandoned village—what a coincidence.”

As he spoke, the killing intent only grew stronger.

This man had walked right into the lion’s den—at such a key time, and in the Great Wilderness Village, no less. Was this really mere coincidence?

Iron Abacus Immortal raised his sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a ghostly head.

As if that weren’t enough, he rummaged in his chest and produced a wooden token.

Fang Mu paused, curious to see what Iron Abacus Immortal would do.

“I’m here to find something, brother—the Ghost Market!” Iron Abacus Immortal said hurriedly. “I just happened to bump into you, so I came to say hello.”

“Looking for something? What?” Fang Mu frowned.

“Stuff the Ghost Market needs,” Iron Abacus Immortal replied succinctly.

Fang Mu’s interest was piqued. “And you happened to source your goods here?”

Iron Abacus Immortal sighed. “Brother, you know that opening a shop in the Ghost Market means setting rules. Whatever I decide to sell, I need to procure supplies for. That’s why I came to restock.”

“Restock?” Fang Mu pressed. “Restock what?”

This village was linked to the mastermind behind all this, yet Iron Abacus Immortal had come here for supplies? The coincidence was too great.

Iron Abacus Immortal’s face darkened, as though he were reluctant to speak the truth.

Fang Mu sighed, slowly approaching while drawing his butcher’s knife.

“Brother Copper Abacus Demon, what are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Just reminiscing with you. You’re too suspicious; I need to clear up any doubts.”

“Wait, wait! I’ll talk! This doesn’t look like reminiscing…”

“It does to me.”

Fang Mu sheathed his knife and waved a hand nonchalantly, signaling Iron Abacus Immortal to speak. The sudden shift in demeanor left Iron Abacus Immortal momentarily stunned.

After a moment’s hesitation, Iron Abacus Immortal decided Fang Mu was sincere. If he didn’t speak up, this ‘reminiscing’ would likely take a very unusual turn.

With a sigh, Iron Abacus Immortal began to explain just what he had come to procure…